3 PR Hooks for the Holidays – How to Garner More Buzz

The last few months of the year are here, the weather is cooling down and people in general are in a happy, jolly mood – including the media. Take advantage of this typically slow news period by amplifying your public relations efforts. Here are three press-generating ideas to help you land some positive, end-of-year media coverage around the holidays.

1. Throw a fundraising soiree

If you have a brick-and-mortar location, consider donating your space and time to host a holiday party for a good cause. Partner with a local non-profit that you’re passionate about and work together on an invite list. It doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg to put the party together; some holiday décor, music (hello, Spotify), appetizers and drinks are all you need to make this an event to remember – and a fete the press will want to cover. Who doesn’t love a feel-good story, after all?

2. Pitch last-minute gift guides

Print magazines usually finalize their holiday gift guides in late summer, but no worries – there are plenty of online media outlets that post gift round-ups in November and well into December. Do your research to find out which reporter or writer covered gift-guide articles the previous year, find his or her email address and send them a short, one-to two-paragraph email about why your product is perfect for their specific readership. For more on gift guides and how to find the right contact information, check out our “PR Tips for the Holidays” webinar.

3. Compile a year-end company roundup

If your company had a great year, why not tout it? Cap off the year with a roundup of all your achievements over the past 12 months. Things to include might be revenue growth, employee growth, customer growth and even fun, out-of-the-ordinary stats like how many cups of coffee your staff consumed. Turn it into a press release and perhaps – if you’ve got some creative chops – an infographic, and share it with local, trade and national business press. (Don’t forget to let your own customers know, too, by sending them an email and posting the roundup on your social media networks.) We did this a couple of years ago at VerticalResponse and got tons of coverage.

Have any other ideas on how to leverage the holidays and secure press buzz? Let us know in the comments!